Contact Information

Academic Background

PhD Developmental Psychology, McMaster UniversityMA Clinical Psychology, The University of Western Ontario

BA Hons Psychology; Biology minor, University of Waterloo

Biography

Sybil Geldart, Ph.D, C.Psych

Dr. Geldart is an Associate Professor at Laurier Brantford. She currently serves as Associate Editor of the peer-reviewed international journal, European Review of Applied Psychology. Dr. Geldart's research interests include the development of the perception of facial attractiveness and the role of visual experience and culture. She teaches courses in child development, exceptionalities during childhood and adolescence, abnormal psychology and clinical psychology.

Dr. Geldart is a member of the College of Psychologists of Ontario. Her specialties include clinical psychology, psycho-educational assessments and counselling. She has a part-time clinic in historic downtown Brantford (Brant Avenue), providing psychological services to children, adolescents and their families.

Additional Information

Research Interests

Dr. Geldart's primary area of research focuses on children and adults and the development of the perception of facial attractiveness. Dr. Geldart has examined perceptions of facial attractiveness in babies, individual differences in the perception of beauty, and the role of visual experience on people's aesthetic judgments. In current work, she and Dr. Stephanie Burgoyne and their students are exploring verbal labels of beauty used in English-speaking Western culture, and the underlying attitudes that influence usage of beauty labels by (pre) adolescents and emerging adults.

Dr. Geldart has a secondary area of research in occupational health psychology, and she collaborates with researchers from McMaster University and the University of Michigan. Together they have explored attributions made by workers and management regarding the causes of accidents, various organizational practices related to health and safety, and employee perceptions of how work organization and incivility impact mental health.

Clinical Interests

Dr. Geldart uses cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) to help children and teens work through a range of problems, e.g., anxiety, depression, OCD. Dr. Geldart's clinical work is informed by empirically-supported methods of assessment and treatment. Internships/training have been held at Madame Vanier Children's Services (community mental health facility, London), the Halton Centre for Cognitive Therapy (private practice, Oakville), and the Thames Valley District School Board.

Geldart, S., & Burgoyne, S. (2013). When attractive is not beautiful: A look at contemporary labels of beauty. Feature Article, Society for Research on Adolescence (March). http://www.s-r-a.org/announcements/online-newsletter/2013-03-14-when-attractive-not-beautiful-look-contemporary-labels-be.

Py, J., Bouffard, T., Desmette, D., Fontayne, P., Geldart, S., Gosselin, P., Lories, G., et al. (2012). A summary of the publications appearing in ERAP from 2009 to 2011, including some notable developments that have emerged during this period. European Review of Applied Psychology, 62, 1-2.